Sean Penn Reacts to Nikki Glaser Calling Him a “Sexy Leather Handbag”

When it came her Golden Globes 2026 opening monologue, Nikki Glaser had it in the bag.

During her performance at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on January 11th, the comedian playfully teased Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Kevin Hart, and Sean Penn. (Check out photos of the red carpet arrivals here.)

Nikki joked that everyone in town seemed focused on anti-aging, but Sean Penn was taking a different approach – seemingly aiming to transform into a stylish leather handbag. The camera then showed Penn, 65, laughing and agreeing with the idea. He simply said, ‘It’s hot. It’s good.’

Oh my gosh, did you SEE what Ricky Gervais did? He totally playfully roasted Sean Penn’s whole ‘newly devoted to helping people’ thing! It was hilarious, but also, I’m just obsessed with Ricky’s hosting – he’s SO good at it. Two Golden Globes already, and he just gets everyone, you know?

She observed that many actors simply express support for good causes, but Sean Penn is different – he actively goes to the most troubled areas in the world and, surprisingly, even uses cocaine while there.

Nikki continued, and as the star of One Battle After Another laughed, she said, “Sean, I actually asked your friends Charlie Sheen and El Chapo if it was okay to make that joke, and they gave me the go-ahead.”

But Nikki, 41, knows when to draw the line at her digs about A-listers.

It’s a tricky balance,” she explained to TopMob News in January. “You need to be careful with jokes so you don’t spoil anyone’s evening, but viewers also want to be entertained and see you playfully tease the celebrities they dislike. People at home are hoping you’ll make fun of the big stars.

Despite roasting many celebrities, she won’t touch Julia Roberts. She explains that you just can’t joke about someone so beloved, calling her “America’s Sweetheart.”

That’s why, during this year’s show on CBS and Paramount+, she chose to make a funny, slightly self-critical comment when speaking to the star of Pretty Woman.

She jokingly told the audience, mirroring the nominated podcasters, that she felt incredibly lucky – and slightly overwhelmed – to be near Julia Roberts.

To see all the stars at the 2026 Golden Globes, read on…